Baldwin changes stance on Kaepernick situation

Most people change their minds at some point in their lives. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin is no exception.

After originally stating that former Seahawks target Colin Kaepernick was not getting passed over this NFL offseason due to his decision to kneel during the national anthem last year, he now believes he may have been wrong.

"My original position was I thought that the situation last year with him taking a knee didn't have anything to do with it," Baldwin said, via ESPN.com. "After viewing what's going on, I've got to take that back.

"I definitely think that the league, the owners are trying to send a message of, 'Stay in between the lines.' It's frustrating because you want to have guys who are willing to speak out about things that they believe in, whether you agree with it or not. But I think that's definitely playing a role now more so than I thought it was going to."

Injuries to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill have put Kaepernick back in the spotlight in recent weeks.

Though the Seahawks have been the only team to show real interest in Kaepernick, despite opting not to sign him, other teams may now be forced to consider the beleaguered quarterback.

Kaepernick, now a free agent after spending his first six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, finished last season with 16 touchdown passes to just four interceptions while compiling a 90.7 quarterback rating.

Baldwin believes those numbers are good enough to lead an NFL team.

"If you take a step back and you look at the overall picture, there's a lot of teams in this league that could use a quarterback of Colin Kaepernick's ability," Baldwin said.

"And why he doesn't have a job, it's very telling to me. He's a very capable player. There's a lot of teams out there that need quarterbacks — whether they're a starting quarterback or a backup-calibre quarterback. The fact that he hasn't been brought into camp yet is questionable."